Water hemlock

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Water hemlock

Water hemlock

Water hemlock leaf

Water hemlock leaves

Water hemlock leaves

Water hemlock

Water hemlock

Water hemlock flowers

Water hemlock

Water hemlock

Water hemlock

Morphology

Stem

Erect, stout, branched at top, glabrous, often waxy, hollow, often with purplish spots and stripes; base of stem enlarged, chambered, contains yellowish, oily secretion that is highly poisonous.

Leaves

Alternate, 2-3 pinnately-divided, uppermost leaves sometimes simple; stalks 4 to 12 inches long, clasping; leaflets narrowly lanceolate, 1 to 5 inches long, .2 to 1.6 inch wide, glabrous, margins toothed.

Inflorescence

Umbels, numerous, compound, 1.6 to 5 inches wide, terminating stem and branches; rays 14-27; stalks 1 to 4 inches long.

Flower

Tiny; bracts narrow, linear; petals 5, rounded, white; stamens 5.

Fruit

Egg-shaped to circular, to 1/6 inch long, glabrous, 2-seeded; seeds flat on 1 side, rounded on other, ridged, straw-colored with dark blotches.

Ecology

Habitat

Stream edges, marshes, ponds, and ditches; wet sites.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Water hemlock is highly poisonous. Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, diarrhea, respiratory difficulty, rapid and weak pulse, and convulsions. Livestock will usually not eat water hemlock but only a small amount can be fatal. Dead plants remain toxic.

Uses

Native Americans would mix the root secretion with rattlesnake venom to poison their arrows and chew the roots to commit suicide. A poultice of smashed roots was applied to bruises and sore joints and used to treat lameness in horses. Corn seeds were soaked in an infusion of water hemlock to repel insects.